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STORY: UNHCR / DRC GOMA INTERVIEW
TRT: 2:47
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNHCR ON SCREEN
LANGAUGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 14 FEBRUARY 2025, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
FILE
1. Close up, UN Flag
14 FEBRUARY 2025, GENEVA, SWIZERLAND
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Nathalie Bussien, UNHCR Senior Protection Officer:
"So the situation has been very tense over the past weeks. At the end of January, we saw fighting getting closer and closer to Goma, leading to thousands of internally displaced persons moving among others - from IDP sites to Goma, trying to find shelters in what we call collective centre, which are churches, schools and also among host families. On the 27th of January, the fighting started in Goma itself. So I was at home at that time. There was I could hear a lot of shootings going on and of course, at that time, water was cut, electricity was cut, internet was cut and it's what all the population in Goma was experiencing, trying to stay home safe but with all what was going on around. As a consequence of what has been happening that day and in the following days, we have seen like hundreds and even thousands of of people who unfortunately died, including civilians, due to those fighting people being injured. Very, very difficult situation in terms of overcrowded health facilities to deal with their situation. We have also seen infrastructure being destroyed following these events and also unexploded ordinances who have been a bit to cross all the city and as of today are still there and now leading to high protection risk including for for children. Sexual violence, it's also something that has being reported, even though it's very difficult to have more details because it's very difficult for survivors to access relevant services at the moment and what we see now is unfortunately, that violence continues spreading. So it's also happening now in South Kivu, getting closer to Bukavu. We saw again some major consequences that may happen, including in terms of protection with further movement and more people looking for safety, including finding shelter, water, etc., and potentially also crossing borders in the region.”
FILE
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An exclusive interview with Nathalie Bussien, UNHCR Senior Protection Officer, who was in Goma when a non-state armed group entered the city on January 27. She provided firsthand insights into the worsening humanitarian crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the challenges of delivering aid, and the urgent needs of displaced communities.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is alarmed by the rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the continued lack of access to displaced people hampers aid provision at scale.
Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are now living in overcrowded makeshift shelters, churches, schools, and hospitals. In Goma families are also impacted by the considerable increase in crime. While some 100,000 have attempted to return to their home areas, where houses have been damaged and there are little or no essential services, many remain stranded in collective centers, damaged IDP sites, or with host communities. Displaced people reported that fear of unexploded ordnances, destroyed homes and lack of basic services are major obstacles to their safe return.
UNHCR calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities to ensure the safety of civilians and urges all parties to stop attacks on civilian infrastructure and guarantee unhindered humanitarian access.
